176 HOW TO KNOW THE MOSSES 



Stems very long, usually over 3 inches, attached only at 

 the base; irregularly branched, branches long, floating; 

 lower part of stem leafless. 



Leaves straight, long, erect- spreading, narrow and slender 

 or large, broad, and concave; of various shades of green, com- 

 monly rather dark or olive-green. 



Seta so short that it is usually concealed by leaves. 



Capsule partially concealed by leaves, long-cylindrical, 

 erect; mature in summer. 



Operculum cone-shaped. 



Range, temperate and cooler parts of the Northern 

 Hemisphere. 



Fontinalis antipyretica var. gigantea Sull. is quite 

 a common species in cool brooks. The distinguishing 

 characteristics are the large deeply concave leaves ar- 

 ranged in three rows, which give a three-sided appear- 

 ance to the long stems. The leaves are usually dark 

 or olive-green, sometimes golden-green or copper- 

 colored. 



Other species of Fontinalis resemble the accompany- 

 ing illustration. The stems are much more slender than 

 in the species described above and the leaves are smaller 

 and narrower, but there are no striking specific charac- 

 teristics for easy determination. 



As a genus, Fontinalis is easily distinguished by the 

 long floating stems, with straight leaves erect or slightly 

 spreading. Other mosses with long stems commonly 

 found in water have finer leaves, wide-spreading or 

 more or less curved. See following genus; also Drepa- 

 nocladus (p. 213) and Amblystegium (p. 208). 



